Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)

Great companion to the graphic novel. Very easy to understand philosophical essays.

loved it

Is a book like Watchmen and Philosophy an attempt to find philosophical meaning in one of the most popular and well-respected graphic novels ever? Or is it trying to introduce the lay reader to philosophy by applying it to Watchmen? Or is it merely a way for philosophers to make a few easy bucks (in a field not known for its high-paying job opportunities) by exploiting popular TV shows and comics (besides the Watchmen, other books in the series look at Family Guy, Batman, The X-Men, The Office, House, Lost and 24). The answer seems to be yes to all three.Watchmen and Philosophy is a collection of essays by various instructors in the field, and is based strictly on the original graphic novel, with no references to the movie. It is divided into four parts, each with three or four essays. In Part One, "The Politics of Power: Who Watches the Watchmen?", deals with the responsibilities of being exceptional people who act as vigilantes and super-soldiers and how these so-called superheroes (actually, only the god-like Dr. Manhattan is really super-powered) can influence world events.Part Two, :The Veidt Plan: The Watchmen and Ethics" deal with various ethical issues, especially related to Ozymandias's rather extreme method to bring about world peace. Does the end justify the means? And is Rorschach right or wrong to want to expose the plan, even if it undoes the good and render a vast amount of deaths futile. Part Three, "The Metaphysics of Dr. Manhattan", deal with the issues faced by Dr. Manhattan, particularly his near omniscience (able to see both the past and future reasonably clearly) and his vast power. Part Four, "This is Not Your Father's Comic Book" deals with whether The Watchmen is literature and gender roles within the book.Of course, if you haven't read The Watchmen, you will get little out of Watchmen and Philosophy. Occasionally, I found this book a little overanalytical, but it is at least well-written and thought-provoking. This is a decent enough book, one that would give any fan of The Watchmen some deeper insight into the novel.

Must have for fans of the Watchmen who want to peek a little further into the minds of it's characters. I couldn't put it down.

I bought this book as a present for my brother, for whom Watchmen is one of his favorite novels. As a fan myself, I decided to read it as well.Here is what I think: This book is a collection of essays, some of which are entertaining, but most of which are very sloppily written. The essay on the police state, and the one on the superman, were interesting enough. The essay on feminism and Lady Jupiter had very little to do with tying the novel to the real world, but instead basically described frames from the graphic novel and then said "this is feminism." Worse was the essay on homosexuality - it might have been written by a high-school student too afraid to actually use the word.Overall I was disappointed. When I bought the book, I had thought there would be some good discussion pieces, or some legitimate ties to philosophy. While there are philosophy branches dropped here and there, this book read more like fan-nonfiction. There is not enough substance in my opinion to warrant buying this book for anything other than a way to pass some time. If you're a fan, you've probably already made all the arguments in this book anyway.

Enjoyed it, very interesting

This cool new Wiley paperback explores lots of philosophical and spiritual questions related to the landmark comic book series and, in effect, the new film as well. If you're trying to discuss the movie in a small group, it's a good idea to grab a copy of this book.The themes of the original "Watchmen," which first was published decades ago, couldn't be more timely today. Among the major questions explored in the original comic books (and in this new Wiley companion volume) are themes about authority in our rapidly changing and deeply troubled world.Who should we regard as heroes? What standards should we require? If super-powerful figures claim the right to be called heroes, should we trust them? As people become extremely powerful in our world, can they betray us? Or, even worse in some cases, can they be so oblivious to the needs of their neighbors that they wind up causing great damage? Is it even possible to be a really super hero today?This cultural milestone is so complex that -- to crack open a discussion in a small group you're going to need some help. Between these covers, you'll find lots of intriguing pointers.

There is nothing I can add that hasn't been said. I just wanted to weigh in and give this book it's well deserved 5 stars.

Das Buch ist hochinteressant und empfehlenswert für jeden, der sich näher mit "Watchmen" beschäftigen will. Die Aufsätze sind einfach zu verstehen und bieten spannende Interpretationsansätze und viele Denkanstöße. Den einzigen Mangel sehe ich darin, dass das Cover von dem Buch nicht dem, das hier angezeigt wird, entspricht. Es stört mich zwar nicht besonders, aber trotzdem sollte das eingestellte Bild auch dem Produkt entsprechen, das man dann erhält.